


Watashi no Kazoku

by Mixk



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Origin Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-05 04:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1089562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mixk/pseuds/Mixk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako meets Chuck for the first time when they're 14 during a visit to the Sydney shatterdome, a year spent around soldiers and techs having given her more confidence. She's been to Anchorage briefly before spending most of the past year in Lima. She never gets to meet anyone her age, and so she's excited at the prospect of meeting Chuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watashi no Kazoku

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fadedink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedink/gifts).



Being rescued by this Godlike ranger was one thing, but to have said foreign ranger talking to her in her mother tongue was another. Mako had been surprised, to say the least.

"O namae wa?" Stacker had asked with a soft tone, and she had been stunned for a good few seconds before answering.

"Ma...Mako Mori desu," she'd replied between hiccups, theaftereffects of her earlier crying.

If there was one memory she'd held dear to her heart, it was that first meeting with who turned out to be her adopted father.

Mako had no family left when Stacker found her, and as hard as it was for her to let go of him, she was left in the care of an orphanage. Every orphanage in the country was already at over capacity at the time, but she didn't take up much space. Had the choice been left to her, she wouldn't have left Stacker's side for the world. Barely a month after Onibaba's attack though, a month spent feeling alone even when she was surrounded by other kids who'd lost just as much as her, Stacker reappeared, and her heart had leapt in her chest at the sight of the ranger.

In retrospect, she's glad that the man didn't dismiss her, didn't leave her for someone else to take care of, considering she'd spent most of the time following the kaiju attack crying herself to sleep every night. The PPDC facilities were never designed to accommodate children, every corner hiding a potential hazard, and so the one condition given to Stacker to keep her around was to never have her leaving his side whenever he was off combat—which was fine by Mako. She was no kid anyway, and there was no lack of women around to help her through her teenage years.

Growing up in shatterdomes, surrounded by the world's finest engineers and fighters, Mako could not have dreamt of a better place to build herself. Seeing Stacker for the first time getting out of that Jaeger was like a vision to her, a vision of what she was destined to do. It was what made the most sense at the time, when she'd just lost everything—her family, her home, her friends. She was destined to fight kaijus, and that was what she would devote her life to.

\-------------

Mako meets Chuck for the first time when they're 14 during a visit to the Sydney shatterdome, a year spent around soldiers and techs having given her more confidence. She's been to Anchorage briefly before spending most of the past year in Lima. She never gets to meet anyone her age, and so she's excited at the prospect of meeting Chuck. She's learnt about him, his story, his similar living situation, their common goal to become rangers.

The first impression of Chuck Mako gets is one of a sulking boy, angry at everyone and everything, and she understands him. She doesn't like how rude Chuck acts, though, and so she avoids hanging around the boy in the end, despite her earlier enthusiasm at meeting him. She spends most of her time training these days—when she isn't studying—grateful that Stacker has hired someone to pick up her kenjutsutraining. She's been practicing since she was eight, and she remembers how proud her father was, how he'd promised to forge one katana especially for her. She spent so much time watching her father forge swords in his workshop that there was never any question about her learning kenjutsu.

Stacker insists on her learning hanbōjutsu too, which never occurred to Mako to be worth mastering, but in the end, she's grateful to have found not only a second father in Stacker, but a mentor as well. Wielding a hanbō is both similar and yet completely different from yielding a katana, but the fluid moves she acquires only make her a better swordsman and a better fighter. She's trained relentlessly since she's been with Stacker, and he even makes sure to train her personally whenever his schedule allows it.

While she enjoys her physical training, learning English, on the other hand, has been a daily struggle, a task that still gives her some grief now. Stacker takes it upon himself to teach her personally, and she’s surprised by the patience he demonstrates during their lessons. Science is more her thing—Jaeger tech, naturally, is her main interest—and the only reason that motivates her in mastering the English language. Most of the scientists she meets in the different shatterdomes they visit only speak English.

On the second day of their visit in Sydney, Mako wakes up bright and early, as per usual, and goes to the main training room. She has developed a routine, vaguely based on Stacker's. She starts off with some light stretching, before reviewing her empty hand Wing Chun moves, which help her wake up smoothly, empty her mind and tackle some more intense exercises later on. She's halfway through her current exercise when she notices Chuck enter the room from the corner of her eye, undisturbed as she hears him scoff. She keeps going, ignoring whatever Chuck came to do, making sure to stay in one half of the mat.

"Want a sparring partner?"

Mako hears Chuck say this as he approaches, though she still remains focused on what she's doing, determined on finishing this routine.

"I'm curious to see what your tiny jazz hands can actually do in a fight," Chuck adds, and it actually stops Mako mid move, prompting her to look at him. Chuck's definitely trying to get a rise out of her, and it's working, from the smug look she sees on his face. She's competitive, she knows that about herself, but she wonders then whether Chuck knows this too. It's not just about proving herself, proving that a girl like her can be as deadly as the next soldier; it's also about making her sensei proud. A student is only as good as their teacher, after all, and she knows Stacker is as good as they can get, so she can't disappoint him.

"Great, I'm done warming up," Mako says with a smile as she comes face to face with Chuck, taking her stance. "Ready, baby Hansen?"

She grins in satisfaction as she watches Chuck's expression turn sour at the taunt, and braces herself for the first punch. She's not surprised to note how agile Chuck is, despite the brawler attitude that emanates from him, but Mako's faster, and she dodges every punch he throws at her with grace. The hours of Wing Chun, Karate and Taekwondo ingrained in her resurface in that moment, and she's even surprised herself to see how quickly her body reacts to every move Chuck pulls on her.

What Chuck lacks in speed though, he makes up for with brute force—he's pretty tall already for his age, at least a good ten centimeters taller than her—and pretty soon her arms and hands are sore from every counter move she has to put up. Chuck isn't bad at all, and he actually manages to dodge her blows as easily as she dodges his, and after a couple more moves, Mako grows impatient. She switches to a more offensive approach, managing to get a couple of hits on Chuck before the latter takes her by surprise and sweeps her off her feet with a swing of his leg, resulting in Mako landing hard on her back with Chuck hovering above her.

"Not bad, Mori," Chuck tells her, with no malice in his voice, and he seems truly impressed. She appreciates the fair play from him, but the disappointment at being bested still stings, and she curses herself for not being good enough. "Don't beat yourself up. I've been training far longer than you have."

That catches her attention again, and she looks up at Chuck's offered hand, accepting his help in recognition of his superior fighting skills.

"Come on, let's have arematch," Chuck says, and gives her a brief smile before he schools his features back to a neutral expression.

Mako nods as she raises her fists, seeing in that moment that despite the rude behavior Chuck may display at times, he's got the same fire in his eyes, the same determination that she does. Chuck's arrogance isn't misplaced—he is that good already—and she realizes then they truly are not that different.

This is the moment they become friends.

——————————

They've been in Sydney for a week now. Mako and Chuck end up spending most of their time together, even if they don't speak much. She likes the comfortable silence that reigns between them, the effortless and unusual friendship they've started even more. They're nearing Chuck's shared quarters with his dad when Chuck stops her, his index finger raised against his lips. The door to the room is ajar, and she follows Chuck's lead, approaching silently to hear just what's caught Chuck's attention.

"Mako and Chuck seem to get along **.** " Herc's voice comes through—Mako assumes he's talking to Stacker—lowering as he adds, "You could stay here."

"Herc—"

"You can operate from any base, right?" Herc says, and then they hear a sigh, followed by soft sounds Mako can’t quite place.

"Not here," Stacker says, heavy breathing coming through the door. "I have to go. See you tonight?"

"Tonight, yeah," Herc agrees, and then Chuck is dragging her away in a hurry as they hear Stacker's footsteps approaching the door. They hide around the corner, waiting with their breaths held for the sound of Stacker’s footsteps to fade away, before taking a step back toward the Hansens’ quarters.

Chuck’s mood turns sour after that conversation they eavesdropped on, for some unknown reason Mako cannot fathom until Chuck turns to look at her, eyes clouded with spleen.

“Guess I’ll be alone tonight again,” Chuck says with a sigh, and that’s when the light turns on in her head. Oh. She never would have guessed on her own, seeing as she gets her own room, and her adoptive father is nothing but discreet. It makes her smile though, to know that in these times of war, Stacker has someone to seek comfort in, someone as admirable as Herc Hansen.

“You don’t have to be alone,” she says, not liking the loneliness she hears in Chuck’s voice. “Bring a sleeping bag or something to my room, and we can watch movies.”

Chuck looks at her with wonder, seeming surprised at the idea, and for a moment Mako thinks he’s going to decline.

“All right,” he says, and to her delight, she catches a brief smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

—————————————

Stacker gives in to Herc's request in the end, and they haven't left the Sydney shatterdome ever since they've come here a year ago. Mako's more than happy with her father's decision, happy to be able to spend time with Chuck, to get to know Herc. She likes to think of the Hansens as family, though nothing is ever officially said between them—they never discuss Stacker and Herc's secret relationship, since the two of them seem keen on keeping it that way, most likely for professional reasons. It doesn't matter to Mako, because in the end, they don't need statements and labels to be a family, they just are.  

It’s Chuck’s 15th birthday today, and Mako surprises him in the mess hall for breakfast as she drops a bag full of treats in front of him.

“What is this?”

“Happy birthday,” she says with a fond smile, nudging Chuck sideways with her hips to make him scooch on the bench, and sits next to him. She watches as Chuck drops the contents of the bag on the table, how his face lights up at the sight of all the chocolaty sweets.

“You got Tim Tams ?!” Chuck exclaims as he grabs the package of biscuits, turning to look at her with glee. She nods at him, glad to see Chuck so excited. She found out some time ago that Chuck has a huge sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate, another trait they both share. She caught him once hiding in one of the labs, eating out of a chocolate chips bag, and it had made her laugh for some reason. Chuck had shushed her pretty quickly, afraid she was going to draw attention to him. Sweets these days are becoming a rare commodity, but being Stacker’s adoptive daughter, she’s never really suffered from it, for she’s gotten regular chocolate rations. She doesn’t need much more in life than that. Ever since that day, they’ve shared every bit of chocolaty goodness they could get their hands on.

“And lamingtons, too! How did you even get your hands on these?” Chuck asks, his enthusiasm making Mako giggle. He truly looks like a kid on Christmas morning, and she’s been so used to the impassive and serious mask he usually puts on that seeing Chuck like this is nice.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” she replies, grinning at him. Chuck gives her a broad smile, which is quite a rare occurrence, and she files the picture away preciously in her mind. Chuck’s not big on displays of affection, she knows that, and his hand squeezing her is more than she expects.

“Thanks,” he says, to which she nods. He proceeds to tear the package of Tim Tams then, grabbing a biscuit and biting a corner off.

“Have you ever done a Tim Tam slam?” Chuck asks her as he chews, turning his Tim Tam around to bite off the opposite corner.

“No,” she shakes her head, watching curiously as Chuck pours coffee in his cup. “What is it?”

“Watch,” he says as he dips one of the bitten off corners in the coffee and uses the biscuit as a straw. Mako’s fascinated by the whole thing, watching Chuck put the entire biscuit in his mouth with a goofy grin as he tells her, “Go ahead, give it a try.”

She’s eager to try, grabbing her mug of green tea latte, and soon she’s humming with pleasure as the warm tea mixed with sweet chocolate hits her taste buds. She looks up at Chuck with a blissful smile of her own, and together they go through the rest of the treats she gave him, which is probably way more chocolate than is healthy in one sitting. They don’t care though, because today’s a special day, and they deserve it.

—————————————

“He fancies you,” Chuck’s voice catches Mako’s attention as he sits down next to her. They’re facing Gipsy Danger, her own little project, legs hanging in the air on the ledge of a scaffolding. The reconstruction of the old Mark III jaeger is going steady, and she has great hope to have Gipsy Danger ready for combat in half a year.

“Who?”

“That lad, Tom, one of the engineers? Come on, Mori, he’s on your team,” Chuck says, nudging her playfully.

“Oh,” she says, frowning slightly as she tries to make sense of what Chuck’s just said, to comb through her memories. The idea sounds ridiculous to her, she hasn’t noticed any signs of Tom showing any interest in her ever.

“You’re so oblivious,” Chuck chuckles, shaking his head at her.

“You’re one to talk,” she shoots back, pouting ever so slightly. “Zora has been crushing on you forever, and I bet you don’t even know who she is.”

“Computer engineer,” Chuck says with a smirk, looking quite satisfied with himself. “And she’s been crushing on _you_ , not me, silly. God you really are hopeless, aren’t you?”

Chuck is full on laughing at her now, and Mako should act offended at the mockery, but she’s used to the teasing this is what they do, they tease each other back and forth. Besides, Chuck’s laugh is infectious, and she can’t help but join him.

—————————————

Everything happens so fast from the moment they are relocated to Hong Kong, and even faster when Raleigh comes back on board. Mako barely has time to see Stacker, with more kaijus coming through the breach every few hours. She doesn’t see Chuck or Herc for days at a time. They’re all so busy, each with their own responsibilities, their own roles to play in this fight. She wishes she had more time. More time to spend with Stacker, more time to joke around with Chuck, more time to say goodbye to them before the final assault.

After Operation Pitfall is complete, after the initial sense of relief that surges through Mako when Raleigh takes his first breath in her arms, her heart drops heavily in her chest. Tears soon run hot on her chilled cheeks as they wait for the choppers to come retrieve them. She keeps her sobs at bay, not letting them out until she gains the privacy of her quarters. On that fateful day, Mako not only loses another father to the kaijus; but she loses a brother as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas ! I really hope you've enjoyed this story, I've tried to portray Mako as best as I could, according to your request. The fic is shorter than I'd like, but the way I've written it, there's always room to write extra scenes, so feel free to request mini drabbles !
> 
> Finally, I want to thank menel for her amazing beta reading.


End file.
